Birdwell High
by Chrys-DASL
Summary: Emily Elizabeth and Jetta have never exactly been friends, but when Emily Elizabeth misses the first day of school to deal with a death in the family, Jetta makes things ugly. These two are destined to be enemies, right? Warning: character death. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

_Birdwell High_

Summary: Emily Elizabeth and Jetta became best friends over the years, but they didn't start out that way. In fact, because of Jetta's relentless bullying, they ended up becoming enemies. Jetta turned on Emily Elizabeth in middle school, and high school changed nothing. In fact, things have reached a climax now that Emily Elizabeth has missed the first day of school to deal with a death in the family. When the student body sides with her and turns against Jetta, something must be done to keep the situation from becoming more volatile. Can they reconcile their differences? Warning, major character death. Rated K+ due to some adult language/content.

Chapter 1

**Warning, character death**

Emily Elizabeth looked up as a football sailed overhead and flew across the long sidewalk between the road and the school. She had no idea who threw it or who caught it, but she was worried about other things. It was the second day of school and she was nervous, namely because this was really her first day of school for the year. She couldn't be there on the first day because of Clifford, her big red dog that everyone knew and loved. He'd been sick for a long time, but when Emily Elizabeth went to check on him that morning, and to show him her new outfit for school, he'd barely looked at her.

 _I think it's time, Mom and Dad. He just…he's lost his spark._

The vet came out and did his duty, allowing Clifford to cross the Rainbow Bridge. They'd been nice enough to invite Sheriff Lewis and Ms. Diller so that T-Bone and Cleo could be there with their friend, but Emily Elizabeth didn't invite Jetta's dog to join them. The stuck-up show dog belonged to Emily Elizabeth's sworn enemy, a girl who now came bounding up the sidewalk towards Emily Elizabeth.

"You are aware, aren't you, that today is the SECOND day of school, not the first…which was YESTERDAY, not today…?" Jetta scolded.

"You are aware that you aren't the truancy police nor the principal, right?" Charley called, running up to fall in step with Emily Elizabeth. The two had been best friends for as long as they could remember, and both had become enemies of Jetta in the process. As soon as she saw him, she scoffed and shook her head:

"You aren't some knight in shining armor, you know? She's probably in huge trouble with the principal for just not showing up the first day. I mean, who does that? Are you too poor to afford the date?" Jetta asked before laughing at her own joke and returning to the school.

"Don't listen to her, Emily Elizabeth. She's a goody-two-shoes with no real life. If it weren't for her dog and the money he made for her family, she'd be nothing, remember? Nothing!" he emphasized as they entered the school.

"She used to be so much nicer. I could've told her what happened and she'd hug me and tell me it'll be okay. Now she'll probably laugh in my face and tell the whole school I killed him, which I didn't. You know that, don't you?" Emily Elizabeth cried, leading Charley towards the front office, where she signed in and received a copy of her schedule and a locker while he waited nearby. As soon as she was done, he returned to her side:

"Look, you didn't kill him, if that's what you're worried about, and if you're worried about people thinking you killed him, this is a pet-friendly island! There aren't many of us here, but everyone has something they're into, and they've all had to make that hard choice. You were good to him, a true friend. You even got his dog friends there. Not many people would even consider doing that, but you did, and it turned out well. When you finally got your call in to me, I knew you'd done the right thing. I was so proud of you," Charley said firmly, walking with her to her locker.

"You're a good friend, Charley. Do we have any classes together?" she asked.

Birdwell High was a decent size, namely because a few of the coastal towns allowed their children to ride the ferry over each morning to attend the school. Because of that, the class numbers were much larger than what you'd expect for an island. In fact, the population of the school was almost double the population of the island, a number Emily Elizabeth's neighbor complained about despite her being the only kid he actually knew that was school-aged. The only time Emily Elizabeth complained was moments like these, when she had all the same classes as Charley but at different times.

Emily Elizabeth sighed, "We're going to have different lunches. You have PE, and they get third lunch, but math gets second. I guess I'll see you in the halls or after school."

"Well, actually, if you want to see me after school, you'll have to hit up the bait shop. I got a job there because Dad needed someone to run the place. It's important, but I'm sure you could drop by if you want," Charley said, looking up as the bell chimed overhead. They waved to each other before being pushed through the crowd.

Emily Elizabeth ended up in a homeroom at the back of the building overlooking the pier. She looked out and saw the next ferry lining up. A few teens burst through the line and rushed towards the school. She shook her head and looked forward, shocked to see Jetta there. She was also surprised to see Jetta talking to the teacher and pointing with her thumb behind her towards Emily Elizabeth.

The teacher sighed so heavily that Emily Elizabeth watched her frame take in the breath and force it out, "Jetta, believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you. Take your seat."

"But Miss Pitman—"

"Now!" she commanded, returning Jetta to her seat with a simple glare.

"This isn't over," Jetta hissed, collapsing into her seat as one of the late teenagers barged into the room and took the seat between Emily Elizabeth and Jetta, which Emily Elizabeth didn't mind. She didn't want to be in the same room as her, let alone in the same row.

When the tardy bell chimed, Miss Pittman closed the door and turned to her class, "Welcome back."

"For some of us…," Jetta muttered under her breath, turning so Emily Elizabeth could hear.

Emily Elizabeth noticed, but Miss Pittman did not and continued, "In a moment, the morning announcements will come on. I just wanted to remind everyone of the ice breaker assignment on the board. You'll do those in your notebook, the one I asked you to bring yesterday. It's alright if you still don't have it. I won't begin counting off for loose pages until next week."

Jetta scoffed, a sound Emily Elizabeth could hear over her binder and the rustling of other students. Soon everyone was quietly working on their assignments as the announcements droned on overhead—there was going to be a back to school bake sale at lunch to raise money for uniforms, the girls' volleyball team had a fundraiser, and there was some game thing that evening for something. It washed over Emily Elizabeth, not sticking, as she worked on the assignment. All she could think about was the day before and losing her friend, but she soon became aware that Jetta was narrating her work.

Instead of doing her assignment, she was writing a letter. More and more students stopped writing to listen to her, but the speaker over the teacher's desk kept Miss Pittman from hearing until it stopped, and then she stood quickly.

"Enough!"

Emily Elizabeth shrank in her seat as Jetta was pulled to the front of the room, and finally outside. The student's closest to the door could hear the verbal barrage outside, but inside, students were turning to Emily Elizabeth. Jetta had only used her name half a dozen times as she narrated the letter about what a danger to society she was for disappearing whenever she wanted.

"What's her deal?" the late teen whispered. Emily Elizabeth shrugged as one of the students nearby shifted. The late teen turned to them, "What's up?"

"I know why she wasn't here, and Jetta is a total bitch for acting like this. Don't worry about, E, okay?" the girl said, adding, "We'll keep an eye on her and make her life miserable if no one stops her, alright?"

Emily Elizabeth nodded, unable to speak. The late teen and the girl were both from the coastal towns, but they were treating her like one of their own. Emily Elizabeth was a sophomore, so she understood there was an odd balance between real locals and these townies, as they were called, and usually the two never mixed. To have them know what happened and still stick up for her was a relief, but she wondered how much power they had. Jetta was the child of rich parents, and her clout went all the way through the island. This definitely wasn't over, whether Emily Elizabeth had allies or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The bait shop smelled exactly the way it had since Emily Elizabeth moved to Birdwell Island from New York City. Fish mixed with rotting fish from dumpsters as sea gulls squawked overhead hoping for a good meal. Several teens walked with Emily Elizabeth towards the pier, and the townies were complaining loudly as they waited in the long line at the snack stand, which was run by an old friend of Charley's dad, who had a hand in most of the businesses along the pier. When your ancestors help build the pier and the buildings on it, you get first dibs and official landlord status. Since Samuel was a good guy, people let him have the power. Unlike some people, he'd never let it get to his head.

Emily Elizabeth sat outside the bait shop waiting for the regulars to clear out. They were placing orders for the next day and chatting loudly while Charley worked. In reality, he had nothing real to do. Once the orders were documented, his job was to clean up the place, something he couldn't do until they all left, which took ages. By the time they left, the last of the townies had returned via the nearby ferry, and Emily Elizabeth was hot from sitting in the sun.

When she stepped into the shop, Charley grinned, "You might want to bring a hat or some sunscreen tomorrow. You're quite rosy."

"Well I don't feel it, but something weird happened in first period," Emily Elizabeth said, settling onto a stool as Samuel came in the back.

"Ah, Emily Elizabeth! How goes it?" Samuel called. Before she could even answer, he handed them glass-bottled Cokes and was in the back.

"What happened?" Charley asked. When Emily Elizabeth told her about the townies knowing and sticking up for her, he stood back with a confused expression, "That makes no sense. They usually have nothing to do with island affairs. I thought he wasn't as popular anymore once he got sick."

"I guess not," Emily Elizabeth said, shaking her head, "I don't really want to think about it, but I'm grateful for the help. Jetta is being absolutely horrid. She got busted by the teacher for that assignment, but I don't know how much she heard. Basically she was writing the principal to get me kicked out for missing the day and so many other things. No one joined in, but I think they're just as confused as me. I don't know what I did to cross her."

"You stole her first-day thunder, I'm sure. You had perfect attendance last year and got an award for it. You not being there probably got everyone's attention in each class, even from the students. That was supposed to be Jetta's day, so she's mad at you for it."

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "I really don't think that's it, Charley, but it's a theory."

"If it's not that, then you must've done something else to piss her off just by being born. I don't know, but I wouldn't worry about it. You have allies, and the principal knows what happened. He wouldn't be on her side for it, even if her parents are benefactors for the school. It's a public school. The government comes first, and the government wants you in school. Where else would you go, Birdwell Academy? That's not a possibility," Charley grinned. Birdwell Academy was a private school, but it wasn't for the rich and elite (otherwise Jetta would be there and they wouldn't be having this discussion). The Academy was really for the island's special needs students, as well as those from the local towns. They took in special needs students aged four to twenty-one in a tall building near the historic town center, which had plenty of room to house the school's other students, those too bad to stay in public school who still needed an education.

Emily Elizabeth sighed heavily, "Well, I wish her family would just move or something. I'm so tired of every year being like this. It won't be long before we're studying for SATs and all that, and there she'll be to try to ruin everything for me."

Charley scoffed, "You're a million times smarter than her and you know it. She'll only get in with her parents' money, no hard work at all. You're the complete opposite. You'd never do that to her family. With her, it's almost expected."

"Speaking of money, when you gonna clean this floor and earn yours?" Samuel called, handing his son a broom, "Start with the pier," he demanded, turning to Emily Elizabeth when he was gone, "I was listening in because I'm a good father. Do you need help with this girl?"

Emily Elizabeth sighed again, "No, I don't think so, not yet at least. I'll let you know if I do, okay? I might need it later, you know?"

"I do know, that's why I'm offerin'," Samuel said, shaking his head, "That girl has been a menace from day one, and you don't even want to know what her brother does around here. The whole family needs a course in humanity, if you ask me."

"What does her brother do around here?" Emily Elizabeth asked curiously. She knew Jetta had a baby brother, Cosmo, because she used to dress him up and flaunt him as if he were her own child, but she didn't know much about the boy. There was just too much of an age difference for them to even cross paths. She probably wouldn't be able to pick him out of a crowd.

Samuel laughed heartily, "What don't that boy do? He steals, he vandalizes, he runs wild. If it weren't for music lessons, he'd be up in here today terrorizing my customers. Menaces, all of them," Samuel groaned, shaking his head and leaving out the back as Charley returned from sweeping the pier. He started sweeping the shop, and Emily Elizabeth decided it was time to head home.

When she arrived, her mother served dinner, and the three of them sat down together at the table. They ate in silence for the longest time, then her mother decided to break the silence:

"How was school?" she inquired.

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "Awful, completely awful. Jetta is being mean about me missing yesterday—"

"But the school knows where you were," her father interrupted.

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "They do, but she's making a huge deal about it. Luckily everyone is on my side about it, but it's exhausting that she's at this again. It's always something with Jetta. I can't stand her."

"Well, remember honey, we don't turn hate back on anyone. We show them love and support—"

"Yeah, Mom, I get your point, but if I told Jetta the reason I was gone, she'd probably accuse me of killing my own dog just to get attention back to her. She'd do whatever she needs to in order to make me look bad. She's wrong here, not me, and if I choose not to like her for her actions, I'm not wrong either. This isn't kindergarten anymore. We can't solve everything by saying sorry and giving each other big hugs," Emily Elizabeth said darkly, pushing her plate away, "I'm not hungry."

As soon as she was out of the dining room, her parents started arguing. They'd been doing that more and more since Clifford got sick, but also since Emily Elizabeth had grown older. It probably started the same year her real problems with Jetta got started, which was sixth grade. Jetta was flaunting her designer clothes and hanging out with the big kids, which meant she bullied her little classmates relentlessly. Emily Elizabeth was her favorite target, not that her mom would hear it. In her eyes, everything was as simple as airing dirty laundry and apologizing for one's wrong doings, except Emily Elizabeth did nothing wrong. She simply showed up to school and did her best, but suddenly she was a bugger-eater who liked girls?

The insults made no sense, but eventually the administration noticed and separated the older kids from Jetta hoping it would go away. The problem? Jetta had a taste of bullying, and since she was prone to it anyway, she never stopped. It was a problem ever since, a problem that had Emily Elizabeth in the counselor's office or in with the principal once every few weeks, sometimes once a week when things got ugly. She was always the target and Jetta was always the instigator, and they finally learned enough to just separate them for eighth grade year, not that it helped much. Birdwell Island was a small place, and Birdwell Middle School was just as small. There was no escaping her.

High school just made the problem bigger. It was more personal now, it seemed, and Emily Elizabeth knew she was right about telling Jetta the news. She'd make dark jokes or accuse Emily Elizabeth of killing her own dog, and people would probably side with her. The townies seemed to know already.

Emily Elizabeth went out to Clifford's dog house and sat in her usual spot. That was her homework spot for years, anything to keep her closer to her best friend. It was odd to find his spot on the floor empty, and even more odd that she had no responsibilities for him tonight. The only thing she wanted to know was how they found out about him in the first place.

The sound of a weed eater from next door interrupted her thoughts. She stepped out and found grumpy old Horace trimming his bushes, again. He had no real life, Emily Elizabeth decided long ago, so he spent most of his time making problems out of nothing. Yeah, Clifford did dig holes from time to time, and who knows how many plates the neighborhood had gone through when his romps shook down cabinets and shelves, but what would be the problem now?

The weed eater stopped and Horace stuck his head over the fence, "Emily Elizabeth!"

Reluctantly, Emily Elizabeth slid down the pole they'd installed for times exactly like this. She emerged from the dog house a moment later, "Yes, Mr. Bleakman?" Emily Elizabeth called back.

"Hi, I just…I wanted to tell you how sorry I was. I saw in the paper, and I just…I'm sorry," Horace stammered as Violet stepped out.

"Oh, is she out there? Will you pass this over to her? It's a special casserole, dear, for you and your family," Violet smiled. Sure enough, a moment later, Horace passed over a rather heavy glass dish filled with a delicious-looking casserole.

"Thank you, Mrs. Bleakman. We appreciate it," Emily Elizabeth said awkwardly, not sure what she was supposed to say at a time like this.

"Well, we sure will miss the big guy," Violet sighed, shaking her head, "I'm so glad that nice reporter did a story about him. Did you help him?"

"Help who with what now?" Emily Elizabeth asked.

Violet gasped, "Oh! Let me get it for you!"

"A reporter did an article about Clifford and things he did over the years. You mean you didn't know?" Horace asked.

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "No, but that explains a lot," she said, accepting the paper from the rushing Violet, "Thank you very much, Mrs. Bleakman. This means just as much to me if not more," she said, turning away. She had to read that article now to see what it said, so she rushed away quickly.

After putting the casserole in the refrigerator for later, Emily Elizabeth locked herself in the upstairs bathroom and curled up in the tub, wrapping the curtain closed so no one could see her. She went to open the paper, unfolding it and expecting to flip to the inner pages for the article.

Instead she found Clifford's giant face looking back at her. She was on top of his head, but the frame was only so big and she was just a torso sitting atop the largest dog the world had ever seen. Tears flooded her eyes as she realized this was an in-depth article that continued not only to one inner page, but to a second one as well. The reporter included everything, from his upbringing in a Midtown apartment in New York City to his move to Birdwell Island and the good deeds he'd done for the citizens there. The reporter pulled from old stories for quotes, but Emily Elizabeth knew he could've called the people as soon as he found out and they'd still say the same things. Clifford had an impact on the whole island, and apparently the world.

When Emily Elizabeth had her fill, she closed the paper and realized this wasn't the island's paper. Instead it was one of the big papers from New York, one of the few that went around nationally. The girl shook her head and stared at the logo—no wonder the townies knew. Everyone should know, yet Jetta pretended not to. She was being nasty even though she knew, and that almost hurt worse than her not knowing at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Charley jumped as Emily Elizabeth pulled him into a little-used doorway the next morning. The look in her eye was crazed yet determined, but he already knew from her firm grip to just listen to whatever she had to say.

"She knows! She's acting this way anyway!" Emily Elizabeth hissed.

Charley stifled a yawn before shaking his head, "I need more explanation, Emily Elizabeth. It's early."

"Jetta knows Clifford died yesterday. A reporter did a story on him, a reporter from New York City. He made the national news! She knows and STILL acts like this!" Emily Elizabeth ranted, keeping her voice soft just in case.

Charley shook his head, "That's just disgusting. How did you find out?"

"Horace Bleakman, of all people. They gave me a casserole last night, and when they realized I didn't know, they gave me their paper about him. It covered everything, three different sections about his life. Her parents read the news, I'm sure. She KNEW!" Emily Elizabeth cried as the bell chimed overhead.

"Look, maybe you should talk to an administrator or something about her behavior. I think she needs help if she knew and keeps throwing it in your face. Seriously, get a pass as soon as you can and go talk to them," Charley said, pulling away, "I have to get to homeroom. The math guy does quizzes and stuff."

He was right to get to class. Emily Elizabeth made her way for the English room, where she found an assignment on the board already. She pulled out her notebook and started to work, keeping her head down as the classroom filled with people. The late townie from the day before was on time today, taking his seat before turning to face the girl from across the room, the other townie who stuck up for her.

Emily Elizabeth ignored them at first in favor of getting her work done, but after a minute, the late townie tapped her desk softly and pointed across the room. Jetta was out in the hallway with the teacher again.

"What does that have to do with me?" Emily Elizabeth whispered.

"We had homework from the first day that we turned in when we got here. I forgot mine, but it was supposed to go in that basket up there," he pointed. He looked deep into Emily Elizabeth's eyes, "She did an essay about you and your special treatment. She's getting chewed out right now on your behalf."

"Like, seriously, what is that little prep's problem?" the other townie said loudly, shaking her head, "If your mom or dad died, she'd probably be doing the same thing. What a cunt."

"Wait, that's dog girl that she's been talking about?" another asked, and when the class found out the truth, they exploded in whispers that Emily Elizabeth couldn't make out. A firm knock on the glass silenced them, but the berating continued outside.

"How much has she done?" Emily Elizabeth whimpered.

"Hey, you don't worry about it," Vaz exclaimed from the front row. Vaz had only gotten quieter as school went on, and now he was known for his silence. To hear from him was almost too much for the group to handle, and Emily Elizabeth felt her eyes sting with tears.

The late townie shook his head, "That girl is going to pay for what she's doing. What's her platform, anyway? What makes her think she's so much better than everyone else?"

"I don't know all of it, but they raise show dogs. Her dog, Mac, is a champion, and his puppies are too. That's what they do," Emily Elizabeth said.

The loud girl from across the room laughed, "They raise dog and she thinks this is just so funny? What the hell is her problem? She should know better, if she even cares. Do they abuse them to make them win?"

"I don't think so," Emily Elizabeth said.

The late townie shook his head, "Doesn't matter, she still doesn't think it's important. That girl has serious issues, like, major issues," he said, turning to Emily Elizabeth, "I'm Collier, by the way. My mom works up in the office. Maybe we should go talk to her during lunch or whatever. I'm in second."

"Same," Emily Elizabeth whispered, her mouth going dry, "Do you think it'll help?"

The loud girl scoffed, "If it doesn't get their attention, we'll make them give it attention. This is ridiculous!" she huffed, enunciating "ridiculous" so hard Emily Elizabeth almost couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

The door opened and the class went quiet. Jetta did not return with the teacher, but that chapter was over. The teacher immediately called a name, Julia, and the loud girl stood up and corrected her:

"It's Jules."

"Well, Jules, I want you to tell me about last night's reading. I want you to be as specific as possible, leave nothing out. When she stops, someone else should jump in. Oh, take your seat, this isn't church," the teacher huffed, sitting down herself on a stool by the podium.

Class was intense, but Emily Elizabeth could feel the support around her. She was reluctant to see the administrators when she talked to Charley, but now that she knew how bad it had gotten, plus that she had allies, she was willing to talk.

At the end of class, Emily Elizabeth told Collier she'd meet him by the vending machines. He nodded and fled into the hallway at record speed. Emily Elizabeth walked slowly and paid close attention to her classmates. All of them looked at her sympathetically, some more than others. More than one person turned away with a look of complete sadness, like "I could cry at any moment" devastation. It was moving, to say the least, and it finalized her decision. Jetta had gone too far this time, way too far, and it was time to get revenge.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Charley jumped as Emily Elizabeth pulled him into a little-used doorway the next morning. The look in her eye was crazed yet determined, but he already knew from her firm grip to just listen to whatever she had to say.

"She knows! She's acting this way anyway!" Emily Elizabeth hissed.

Charley stifled a yawn before shaking his head, "I need more explanation, Emily Elizabeth. It's early."

"Jetta knows Clifford died yesterday. A reporter did a story on him, a reporter from New York City. He made the national news! She knows and STILL acts like this!" Emily Elizabeth ranted, keeping her voice soft just in case.

Charley shook his head, "That's just disgusting. How did you find out?"

"Horace Bleakman, of all people. They gave me a casserole last night, and when they realized I didn't know, they gave me their paper about him. It covered everything, three different sections about his life. Her parents read the news, I'm sure. She KNEW!" Emily Elizabeth cried as the bell chimed overhead.

"Look, maybe you should talk to an administrator or something about her behavior. I think she needs help if she knew and keeps throwing it in your face. Seriously, get a pass as soon as you can and go talk to them," Charley said, pulling away, "I have to get to homeroom. The math guy does quizzes and stuff."

He was right to get to class. Emily Elizabeth made her way for the English room, where she found an assignment on the board already. She pulled out her notebook and started to work, keeping her head down as the classroom filled with people. The late townie from the day before was on time today, taking his seat before turning to face the girl from across the room, the other townie who stuck up for her.

Emily Elizabeth ignored them at first in favor of getting her work done, but after a minute, the late townie tapped her desk softly and pointed across the room. Jetta was out in the hallway with the teacher again.

"What does that have to do with me?" Emily Elizabeth whispered.

"We had homework from the first day that we turned in when we got here. I forgot mine, but it was supposed to go in that basket up there," he pointed. He looked deep into Emily Elizabeth's eyes, "She did an essay about you and your special treatment. She's getting chewed out right now on your behalf."

"Like, seriously, what is that little prep's problem?" the other townie said loudly, shaking her head, "If your mom or dad died, she'd probably be doing the same thing. What a cunt."

"Wait, that's dog girl that she's been talking about?" another asked, and when the class found out the truth, they exploded in whispers that Emily Elizabeth couldn't make out. A firm knock on the glass silenced them, but the berating continued outside.

"How much has she done?" Emily Elizabeth whimpered.

"Hey, you don't worry about it," Vaz exclaimed from the front row. Vaz had only gotten quieter as school went on, and now he was known for his silence. To hear from him was almost too much for the group to handle, and Emily Elizabeth felt her eyes sting with tears.

The late townie shook his head, "That girl is going to pay for what she's doing. What's her platform, anyway? What makes her think she's so much better than everyone else?"

"I don't know all of it, but they raise show dogs. Her dog, Mac, is a champion, and his puppies are too. That's what they do," Emily Elizabeth said.

The loud girl from across the room laughed, "They raise dog and she thinks this is just so funny? What the hell is her problem? She should know better, if she even cares. Do they abuse them to make them win?"

"I don't think so," Emily Elizabeth said.

The late townie shook his head, "Doesn't matter, she still doesn't think it's important. That girl has serious issues, like, major issues," he said, turning to Emily Elizabeth, "I'm Collier, by the way. My mom works up in the office. Maybe we should go talk to her during lunch or whatever. I'm in second."

"Same," Emily Elizabeth whispered, her mouth going dry, "Do you think it'll help?"

The loud girl scoffed, "If it doesn't get their attention, we'll make them give it attention. This is ridiculous!" she huffed, enunciating "ridiculous" so hard Emily Elizabeth almost couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

The door opened and the class went quiet. Jetta did not return with the teacher, but that chapter was over. The teacher immediately called a name, Julia, and the loud girl stood up and corrected her:

"It's Jules."

"Well, Jules, I want you to tell me about last night's reading. I want you to be as specific as possible, leave nothing out. When she stops, someone else should jump in. Oh, take your seat, this isn't church," the teacher huffed, sitting down herself on a stool by the podium.

Class was intense, but Emily Elizabeth could feel the support around her. She was reluctant to see the administrators when she talked to Charley, but now that she knew how bad it had gotten, plus that she had allies, she was willing to talk.

At the end of class, Emily Elizabeth told Collier she'd meet him by the vending machines. He nodded and fled into the hallway at record speed. Emily Elizabeth walked slowly and paid close attention to her classmates. All of them looked at her sympathetically, some more than others. More than one person turned away with a look of complete sadness, like "I could cry at any moment" devastation. It was moving, to say the least, and it finalized her decision. Jetta had gone too far this time, way too far, and it was time to get revenge.

Chapter 4

Collier was waiting by the vending machines when Emily Elizabeth entered the cafeteria. Even though she was hungry, she went straight from the vending machines to the main office with Collier, who led her inside the vice-principal segment of the offices. As expected, his mother was working in her office, a packed lunch spread out beside her. She covered it quickly and had them shut the door behind them.

"What seems to be the problem, son?" she asked.

"There's this girl in my English class, the one I told you about? This is the girl she's been going after. She might've already gotten in trouble for her assignment, but I wanted to make sure. It's just not fair, Mom," Collier said firmly.

His mother nodded, "Explain the situation to me, sweetie," she said, turning to Emily Elizabeth and only letting her speak.

Emily Elizabeth started from the top and told her everything, ending with the part about the newspaper and figuring out that Jetta likely knew but still continued her wrath.

"That's the end of it. That last part is what he said—the English teacher took her outside, and I haven't seen Jetta all day. But I'm like Collier. If she got in trouble, I wanted to tell the whole story. If she didn't, I want her to get help, a lot of it. She really needs it," Emily Elizabeth said solemnly.

"That she does," Collier's mom said, looking up from her notes, "How long have you and this girl had problems with each other?"

"Sixth grade. We would squabble before, but it always got solved. Middle school was different, but this is different too, colder almost. I'm worried about her," Emily Elizabeth whispered.

Collier's mom nodded, "Well, I'm going to pass this along to the principal. If she got in trouble this morning, he likely knows the situation already. We can add this to the file if that's the case. If she was simply sent out this morning, or if no disciplinary paperwork was processed against her, this will be the starting point. Are you ready to fight this out?"

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "More than ready."

"Well, go off to lunch. Here's you a pass so you can finish and not be tardy," she smiled, handing them both slips and sending them off.

"I hope something good comes out of this," Collier said as they stepped into the cafeteria.

They entered the line together, the only two people there. As they waited for fresh servings, the bell chimed to signal the end of the period. The cafeteria workers handed over their trays and they took seats near the hallway where the gym kids would come back from class. As Emily Elizabeth hoped, Charley saw them and deposited his things into an empty chair. A moment later, he joined them, shaking hands with Collier as they were introduced.

"Thanks for helping her out. She was pretty upset this morning," Charley said.

"Well it got worse. We had to step up and make sure things were going the way they should," Collier replied, picking up his sandwich.

"Worse? Worse how?" Charley asked.

Emily Elizabeth looked down to her tray, "She did her homework assignment about me. I don't know the details, but the English teacher kicked her out this morning. Collier stepping up the way he did probably prevented a riot. She's definitely outnumbered."

Charley shook his head, "And you haven't seen her since? She was in my chemistry class earlier."

Collier sighed, "I guess she just sent her to the library or something until the end of the period. That means we're just getting started."

"Are you sure?" Emily Elizabeth asked.

Charley nodded, "If it was that bad, they should've kept her longer than that. I have chemistry second."

Collier groaned, "Well, at least we got the ball rolling. Sorry it had to be us, but things will get done now. My mom will make sure of it, okay? And I'll stay on her. I've got to get back to class."

Emily Elizabeth knew she should join him, but she picked some more at her food. After a moment, Charley's hand covered her own and she looked up to find him staring at her with the saddest expression she'd ever seen:

"Are you sure that you don't need some help too? You just lost your best friend, and now you're being bullied, but you're here with your head high. You don't have to pretend to be strong for any of us. If you need help, be sure to get it," Charley whispered.

"It's just…he was sick for so long. Him passing was almost a relief for us because he's not sick anymore, and he'll be happier now. It's this stuff with Jetta that hurts more. I mean, I feel the void Clifford left in my life, but knowing a girl I once considered my friend is being so unbelievably hateful is just…I can't cope with it. Now I think she's going to lie about knowing. That'll be her next step to get sympathy, to get the ball back in her court. She'll pretend she didn't know and cry and cry," Emily Elizabeth sighed before shaking her head, "This won't do anything, but you're right. I might seek help soon if I need it, if this keeps going. I have allies, but yeah, I might need some help processing everything."

"You should get back to class just in case. It's too early in the year to push anyone's patience," Charley whispered. Emily Elizabeth agreed and decided to leave. Charley promised to take care of her tray, but she did walk with her orange juice so she could finish it.

When she returned to class, the teacher accepted her pass with a kind smile and handed her a copy of the worksheet the class had been working on while she was gone. Her things were left untouched at her desk, so she packed it away, knowing the bell was just seconds away. Sure enough, she was soon out in the hallway heading towards her art class. Along the way, she caught a glimpse of Jetta up ahead. She turned and went another way to class, hoping to avoid her completely. She felt sick as she realized she never wanted to see Jetta again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Instead of going to see Charley at the bait shop on the pier, Emily Elizabeth walked home the longest route she could take. It also took her past Sheriff Lewis's house, so she gave pets to T-Bone before cutting over to Cleo's street. Her yard was empty, so Emily Elizabeth went past the groomers and found her inside. She waved and Cleo yipped at her, but Emily Elizabeth didn't want to go inside. Instead she returned home to Clifford's dog house. To her surprised, there was a figure in her loft. She climbed the stairs and found Vaz sitting in her chair flipping through on of the children's books she used to read to Clifford.

"Hope you don't mind," Vaz said nervously, standing quickly and thrusting the book back onto the shelf.

"No, I was just surprised to see you. What's up?" Emily Elizabeth asked.

Vaz sighed, "I was thinking about this morning all day. I heard everything the teacher said, so I know what she wrote about. It was horrible. She wanted you out of the class because you didn't have your priorities straight. This is honors English for us, you know? We're a grade ahead, so we're in with juniors. I think the kid in front of you is a senior even, and I know that girl is, Jules. Jetta just thinks it's so advanced and special because she's, well, she's Jetta. It has to be special if she's in there, right?"

"Sounds about right," Emily Elizabeth nodded, sitting on the top step, "What else did she write about me? I didn't even realize what was happening until everyone got so mad about it. I mean, I'm upset too. I went with Collier to the office to see if we could get Jetta the help she needs."

Vaz shook his head, "She doesn't need help, Emily Elizabeth. She hasn't changed one bit from when we were kids, always bossing people around. The only reason she's on cheer squad is because she wants to be a captain and boss everyone around. She's not even that good."

Emily Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, "What do you know about the cheer squad?"

"I run cross-country. You can run and no one talks to you, or if they do, they don't expect an answer because you're running. We run the track around the football field, and that's where they practice, the field next to the stands. She's the loudest one. I can hear her the whole time, even when I get my heart rate going and all I hear is THUM! THUM! THUM! from the beats. She's obnoxious and she should leave the school, the whole island. No one wants her here," Vaz ranted.

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "I disagree with you, Vaz. I think she needs someone to talk to her to explain things to her. I think she's got a lot of problems from somewhere, problems she just needs to work on."

Vaz groaned loudly, "See, that's always been your problem! You're too nice, Emily Elizabeth. This girl knows you dog died and wants you expelled for taking the day to recover. She knew this dog herself, but she still thinks it's okay to pick on you, to write letters to the principal to get you removed from class. She talked about your looks and attitude too. This goes beyond the first day of class, goes beyond everything. I think she's been out to get you from the start. She knows you're smarter and better than her, so she wants you out of the picture so she can be the smartest and prettiest and all that, when really she's just a snake."

"Get rid of me how?" Emily Elizabeth whispered.

"She knows what institutionalism is, Emily Elizabeth. Her mom has to go away sometimes for instability, or that's what they always called it. See, the thing with being so shy and quiet is that no one knows you're there. She's told people about it since elementary school. She just didn't know I was listening," Vaz replied.

"Okay, so that explains it, but why would she want me to go there?" Emily Elizabeth asked softly. Vaz shrugged, but Emily Elizabeth could tell he had an answer. He just didn't want to say it, so she prodded him, "Come on, you obviously know, Vaz. You can tell me anything."

"She wants you to try to kill yourself. If you succeed, you're out of her hair. If they lock you up, you're definitely out of the way. She wants to do that because she knows it's a thing. She watches way too many dramas meant for adults if you ask me. I see her streaming during down time," Vaz explained, putting his hand on Emily Elizabeth's shoulder, "Do NOT fall for her traps, okay? If you need help, go get it. And…know that she won't go down easy. You can try to bring her down, but we both know how hard that is. She'll lie and cheat and scheme her way out of anything."

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "I already thought about that, and it worries me. Keep tabs and give me advice, okay? I don't know what to do if that happens."

Vaz grinned, "I can do that."

When he was gone, Emily Elizabeth tidied the loft, sweeping away dust and the last stray hairs from Clifford. The task kept her mind busy while she tried to process her day. She knew things were going to escalate, but if Vaz was right, that was quite a power trip Jetta was going on, trying to get a girl to hurt herself just to get rid of her. It did sound fictional, adult fictional, but Emily Elizabeth knew enough about fiction to know it had to come from somewhere, and even if it was made up, someone like Jetta could use it for her own life, her non-fiction life.

The family had the Bleakman's casserole for dinner, but Emily Elizabeth evaded conversation. She went to her room and worked on her homework, using her desk for the first time in ages. In fact, she'd started to outgrow it, so she knew she might want to ask her dad for an expansion or something when they spoke again. For now, she focused on her work, trying to push Jetta from her mind, and keep Clifford's dog house out of her peripheral vision.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Emily Elizabeth got to school the next morning, Collier's mom was working the front entrance. When she saw her, the girl was immediately pushed towards the office block, where the secretary took over and led her to the counselor's office. This wasn't her advisor for classes but rather a different person, someone Emily Elizabeth hadn't had to work with before. Before she could come up with a theory on who the person was, a young man in a plain outfit entered and sat across from her.

"Sorry to meet with you so early, Emily Elizabeth. Are you having a good morning?" he questioned.

"I guess so. What's this about?" Emily Elizabeth asked.

"Well, it's been brought to our attention that you've experienced a death in the family and could use some emotional support. We heard you were upset during class and spent the entire lunch period and most of the remaining part away—"

"I was here, in the office, handling a situation. Who filed this so-called report?" Emily Elizabeth interrupted angrily.

"A good friend of yours wanted to make sure you get the help you need. Now, it's okay to be angry—"

"If it wasn't Charley, that report isn't legitimate. I'm okay with my 'death in the family.' I'm NOT okay with how one of my classmates is treating me, and she's probably the one who filed that report. I want to know her name," Emily Elizabeth demanded.

The plain man shook his head, "Confidentiality is our number one priority, and that will also be our priority while you get the help you need and deserve during this hard time. Your classmates may try to reach out to comfort you, but they may not do this in ways you expect," he said, but Emily Elizabeth stopped listening. This was obviously yet another trick from Jetta, another one that Emily Elizabeth didn't understand and didn't want to understand.

When the bell rang, Emily Elizabeth stood, "I'm going to class. I don't want to talk to you again," she said firmly, leaving before he could stop her. When she got to class, she found Jetta working quietly on her morning assignment while the class glared in her direction. When Jules noticed how upset Emily Elizabeth was, she moved over to the desk beside her.

"What's going on?" Jules whispered.

"She's posing as my friend at the office to get the counselor to talk to me," Emily Elizabeth replied softly, "and it's not going to work. I don't know what her plan is, but it will not work."

When the English teacher looked up and saw her, she shook her head and turned back to her computer, aware of the situation but unable to speak. When Collier entered, Jules caught him up, but before they could continue their conversation, the teacher silenced the room. Everyone listened and tried to work on their assignments, but the restlessness continued. The class could feel the tension as the bell rang. The morning announcements were short, and soon Miss Pittman was standing before the class to begin her lecture.

Before she could even start, Jetta raised her hand. Miss Pittman had no choice but to call on her, though her disgust was visible as Jetta stood and turned, "I just wanted to clear the air and issue a sincere apology to my friend Emily Elizabeth during this dark time—"

"What's your point, witch?" Jules exclaimed.

Miss Pittman tried to regain control, but the class wasn't obeying. Emily Elizabeth sat back as the class ripped into Jetta for whatever she was doing, with Jules and Collier yelling the loudest. Vaz was included in the fray, his lips moving but his voice getting lost in the confusion.

Finally Miss Pittman stood on her desk and dropped a textbook flat onto the tile floor, which caused a loud enough bang to silence the class in one blow.

She glared at them, "Take a seat, Jetta. As for the rest of you, you need to listen to me when I ask for your attention, understood?"

When the class answered, Emily Elizabeth expected a rant about how they should accept apologizes and acknowledge friendship, basically the same speech she'd been hearing from her mother and teachers since early grade school.

But Miss Pittman knew what was up and simply continued her lesson. She knew from years of teaching that the apology had ulterior motives, motives she wasn't getting involved with. Emily Elizabeth almost felt more betrayed by her lack of action—obviously kicking her out did nothing, and no paperwork was issued or maybe things would be moving a little faster. She just hoped Collier's mother was able to gain some ground before she was forced to see the counselor on a regular basis. Either way, she could feel a showdown coming with Jetta, likely with some guy like that plain counselor who wanted Friendship and Sugar and Everything Nice to happen between them. They'd want the girls to hug and make up just like the old days.

Except they were older now, and Emily Elizabeth felt she had the right to choose. Her choice? She wanted nothing to do with Jetta. In fact, she didn't mind if she never saw the girl again, and she'd definitely never be her friend again. She had been too nice in the past, and with Jetta, it had only gotten her burned time and time again.

Well those days were over. She was done being nice to people who refused to exchange the favor, and Jetta definitely fit that criteria. Emily Elizabeth made a big mental note: NEVER trust her EVER again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The weekend came and went without any major events. Charley and Emily Elizabeth hung out on a rocky beach, hurling rocks out into the water, but they hadn't done anything important. They didn't really talk either, but Emily Elizabeth knew he was aware of what happened. It seemed that the entire school was talking about her and Jetta, and it seemed that everyone was on Emily Elizabeth's side. By Monday, it was clear that this was true—people Emily Elizabeth didn't even know waved at her in the hallways, and when she did catch a glimpse of Jetta up the hallway, people were letting her have it. When Emily Elizabeth got to homeroom, she found Jetta's desk was out of place from where someone had kicked it, knocking her books off, which meant she'd been there, but she wasn't anymore.

Jules returned with just her purse and smirked as she walked back towards her seat. When Collier entered and saw the evidence, he looked over to Jules with a raised eyebrow:

"Did you have something to do with this?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I watched, if that's what you mean, but no, I wasn't the one who kicked the princess's throne. She's sobbing in the bathroom like this is everyone else's fault though. That I did relish in, just in case you were wondering," Jules grinned.

A guy nearby scoffed, "You should have. The girl is a demon. I saw her push a freshman over this morning to get to her locker. That's assault, you know, full-blown assault."

"She should've known people would turn on her eventually," Vaz whispered, but his voice cut through the remaining classroom chatter so that everyone heard. He turned around to face Emily Elizabeth, "You realize it's been going on for years, don't you? She's always been like this. People are just now taking notice, but it's too late. She'll never change, and the damage is done. She's hurt a lot of people over the years, and some stupid apology means nothing unless she stops."

"Quiet kid has a point. Her apology is worthless unless she actually learns from it," Jules said fiercely as the tardy bell rang. Miss Pittman entered the room and looked over the desks. Notebooks came out without a word, but that's not what caught her eye. She noticed Jetta's books, but Jetta still hadn't returned. Even after morning announcements, she still hadn't returned.

"Has anyone seen Jetta?" Miss Pittman called, her attendance pen in hand.

Jules grinned, "She's in the girl's bathroom crying because life is just so unfair to a wench like her."

"A simple 'yes' or 'no' would suffice," Miss Pittman said flatly, but it was clear she agreed. She shook her head and made an 'x' on the paper before launching into her lesson.

Halfway through class, one of the vice-principals arrived and gathered Jetta's things. Not even a minute later, Emily Elizabeth was called to the office. The room went quiet as she gathered her things and headed towards the front.

She knew right away that this was a confrontation facilitated by the administration between the bully and her victim, but it was Emily Elizabeth who was thrown under the bus. The same vice-principal from the classroom ripped into Emily Elizabeth about how impolite she was, about how she'd been a leader in the worst sense of the word, among other things.

Emily Elizabeth was a meek, quiet girl, but her first week of school taught her one major thing: Stand for no injustice. Without a word, she regathered her things and started to leave. She made a point to go stand in front of Collier's mom's door, and it wasn't long before it flew open—the vice-principal had followed her, screaming at her so loudly that veins bulged from his now brick-red face.

"What is the meaning of this?!" another voice boomed. The principal rounded the corner at record speed and arrived just in time to corner Emily Elizabeth completely.

Before she could respond, Collier's mother began to speak, her voice overpowered completely by the bellows coming from the other vice-principal. A shrill whistle from the principal silenced everyone—he was now in full control.

"Again, what is the meaning of this, MISS?!" he hissed so the bellowing man would be quiet.

"It seems the administration has it wrong, yet again, and Emily Elizabeth is standing her ground. I submitted multiple forms about this last week only to be ignored. Jetta has bullied her relentlessly since the second day of school. She missed the first due to a death in the family, and this girl has not let her live this down—"

"Is this true?" the principal glared at Jetta, who until now had been watching with a sly smirk on her lips.

Jetta instantly put on her most innocent face, "No, no, everyone has it all wrong. I'm not the monster in this case. Emily Elizabeth is. She started everything."

"By not being here? By not speaking to you for four years because you always say mean things to me?" Emily Elizabeth asked.

The principal shifted, "Is this true? You haven't talked to her in four years?"

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "She started bullying me in sixth grade. I ignored her as best as I could, but I reached out last week because it got so bad. I think one of my teachers complained too, but no one did anything. Then she said I was bullying her, and now we're here in record time. I don't really think that's fair, Sir. Why should money run this school when it's a public place that's supposed to be for everyone?"

"I'm the victim here too—"

"Only because mob justice took over when the school did nothing," Emily Elizabeth interrupted, turning back to the principal, "It's true people have been mean to her, but that's not what I wanted. They only stepped in when the administration failed to act. They did act for me, but not under my command. What they did was entirely out of my control."

"What about Vaz?" Jetta asked.

"I've heard enough—"

"What did Vaz do?" Emily Elizabeth questioned.

"He kicked my desk and said something in Spanish. I couldn't understand him. I'm not a beaner—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" the principal bellowed again, "I've heard enough! This situation has gotten COMPLETELY out of hand, and I won't have it go on another minute! In my office, now! We settle this—"

"What are you going to do?" Collier's mom asked flatly, a bored expression on her face, "We submitted paperwork and complaints. She's right that Miss Pittman submitted paperwork. I saw it myself in the mailroom. It fell out of your box because it's overflowing with things you couldn't be bothered with. So, what are you going to do now? They clearly need assistance, but you obviously only have time when the problem becomes too big to ignore."

"What are you trying to say?"

"You're not qualified for this. Let me talk to them, both of them, right now," Collier's mom replied, adding that she did have the credentials.

The principal was reluctant, but too much time was being wasted. While they were arguing, both the bell for second period and its tardy bell rang through the school. The girls were now missing a second class, which was almost as bad as the other allegations. It was time to get moving, and the principal was no longer in a position to argue. He allowed it, and the girls were put on opposite sides of the tiny office. Collier's mom pulled out a yellow legal pad from her desk and clicked open a pen—

"I want to hear from Emily Elizabeth first because she came to me last week. I want you to start from the beginning, and I don't want you to leave anything out. If you think it's important, tell me. And, Jetta? You may not respond. You will have your chance to speak, but you will not use that time during hers. If you can't be civil, either of you, I'm issuing two months of Saturday detention for you to work it out with manual labor. Understood?"

Jetta's face went white as she contemplated the meaning of "manual labor," though she understood the "Saturday detention" part just fine. Emily Elizabeth remained blank. She knew how to be good and how to be nice, two things Jetta had put in jeopardy. Now it was her turn to talk, and she did as she was told. She went all the way back to when they first had classes together, when Emily Elizabeth first moved to Birdwell Island. Somehow Jetta maintained composure as Emily Elizabeth went through everything from then until now, holding back nothing as Collier's mother made copious notes.

When it was Jetta's turn, she broke down into sobs. The evidence was damning—she'd been abusing this girl from day one, and the only time she'd gone against her was now, not that she'd even been that mean. Everyone else retaliated, but not Emily Elizabeth.

Jetta knew she was in trouble. She was crying for sympathy, but Emily Elizabeth said nothing as Collier's mother produced tissues and handed the box to the crying girl.

"Whenever you're ready, Jetta, I need to hear your side of the story—"

"I'm a monster! I just wanted to be more popular, and now everyone hates me! I just wanted you to leave, to go back to New York City where you belong," Jetta cried, her body shaking with sobs as she hiccupped out the words.

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "We came here for Clifford, but this is my home. I'm not going back to New York City just because he's gone."

"What am I going to do? Everyone hates me! Charley won't even look at me. Townies I don't even know are pushing me in the hallways. Some kids blocked my locker this morning, and they wouldn't move, so I had to push them out of the way, and now everyone things I'm a monster! I'll have to change schools. Where will I go? Where can I go?"

"You don't have to change schools," Collier's mother sighed, shaking her head, "What you're telling me is that you admit this started with your actions, but your solutions are still self-centered. You will have a part in this solution, but it won't be all about you."

"You can't fix this!" Jetta cried.

Collier's mom cocked her head, "It's not going to be easy, for sure, but it is possible to regain your popularity and reputation. I don't know if the two of you can move past your differences, but if either of you want that, we can work on it together. For now, I want to focus on apologizing. Emily Elizabeth said you apologized in front of the class, but no one believed you because it was for you, not her. You wanted your popularity back, not to apologize to the person you wronged. You need to do a real apology, to everyone. Wednesday there's going to be an assembly to celebrate our city's birthday, of sorts. I'm going to ask the principal if you can give a formal apology after the event. Are you willing?"

"But—but," Jetta sobbed.

"I'll help you. We'll start right now. Emily Elizabeth, you may return to class. Here's a hall pass," she said, handing her a slip and gesturing for the door.

Emily Elizabeth obeyed and went to her second class. It was almost over when she arrived, and she found herself more irritated about the missing time than anything else. It was clear that things were backwards at Birdwell High, but it was also clear that the students were on her side. If Jetta apologized at assembly, it would be up to her peers to decide if the apology was worthy. If it flopped, she would know right away. Either way, it was out of her hands. She had assignments to focus on, projects to start. She didn't have time for Jetta and her petty motives. She was here for an education, not her reputation.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Emily Elizabeth did her best to find a table by herself in the bustling cafeteria, but a few moments after she sat down, Collier appeared with Vaz, and the two took spots at the table without even asking. Emily Elizabeth made a face before looking down to her tray of food, hoping the boys would go away and leave her alone.

"We want to know what happened. People heard yelling during class change coming from the office, loud yelling," Collier said firmly, leaning towards Emily Elizabeth, "Come on, tell us what happened?"

"It's what you'd expect. I got called down for bullying Jetta because they wanted to listen to her more than they wanted to listen to me," Emily Elizabeth whispered.

"That's disgusting! My mother—"

"Stepped in to help," Emily Elizabeth interrupted, continuing with a glare, "She stepped in when I walked out. I knew I needed her help, so I left and dealt with the consequences. She had us talk, starting with me. Jetta, of course, broke down, but now she has to apologize to me, properly, in front of the whole school."

"Are you going to accept it?" Vaz asked darkly. She could tell he didn't want her too, and Collier shared the same expression.

Emily Elizabeth shrugged, "It's not in my nature to be mean like her. I at least want to hear what she says, but, more importantly, I want to see that she understands. Apologies aren't just words. They're actions too, and she needs to learn that if anything is going to come of this."

"Well what do you want to happen?" Vaz grinned darkly.

"I want things to go back to normal. Jetta may be mean, but she doesn't deserve to be attacked in the hallway. I don't appreciate all the attention either. I'm here to learn, and it's hard to do that when you keep hearing your name all over the place," Emily Elizabeth replied.

Collier scoffed, "So you don't even want revenge after, what, years of abuse?"

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "I'm not really into the whole revenge thing. I don't want to be besties with her, but I don't want everyone being so ugly anymore either. I want things to be normal."

"You get that she deserves everything we've done to her. Every push, every shove, every foul word, she did herself—"

"No, Collier, I don't believe she deserves anything. I think she's figuring out how wrong she was. Apparently she wants me to go back to New York City, where I'm from, so she can have the spotlight. Instead she's going to have to learn how to shine bright without me. It's not like I want any attention," Emily Elizabeth said.

Vaz laughed, "All this because you were the new kid?"

"Pfft, she's a native now," Collier grinned, shaking his head, "You're more native than me. Your dog became this island's main attraction. You're, like, the gatekeeper of this place. You're not going anywhere."

"Exactly, but I don't want all this meanness to continue. I want everyone to listen to her when it's time."

"Well, we make no guarantees. She's made a lot of people upset, and that's not going to be changed overnight," Collier said, shaking his head.

Emily Elizabeth smiled, "Well, your mother is helping her—"

"She's what?"

"That's her job. It was that or Saturday detentions for two months. Jetta is taking the easy way out, but it's the hard one too. Let your mom work her magic. It'll work out, hopefully without me. Now can I eat in peace?" Emily Elizabeth asked. Collier and Vaz sighed before returning to wherever they came from. Somehow Emily Elizabeth remained alone the rest of lunch, but she could feel people watching her. Her name was whispered everywhere she went, something that was already getting old to her. She was ready for this to be over so she could be out of the spotlight, but she knew that wouldn't happen. Now that people knew who she was, there was no turning back—she was popular, and there was nothing she could do to change that.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When Emily Elizabeth arrived at Birdwell High on Wednesday, she could tell this was no ordinary assembly. With the town's anniversary prompting many official services, it was clear that the Birdwell High ceremony was the first of the day, and one of the most important. TV stations from various places had cameras both inside and outside the school, and it was hard to move around due to all the extra people. In fact, the number of people present was too much for the school's auditorium, so the ceremony had been moved into the gym last-minute. Mismatched chairs were lined up in front of a makeshift stage, chairs where the people of the community had to sit. The students had to sit in the bleachers based on grade level.

Emily Elizabeth managed to find a spot behind Charley, who shook his head as he looked over the crowd. Ever since she informed him of the update concerning her and Jetta, he'd been clear that this was a bad idea. He was afraid Jetta would make the apology about her, again, and Emily Elizabeth didn't disagree with him, but she didn't agree with him either.

"Good morning," the principal called out, his voice booming out through the gym's extensive sound system. Several students covered their ears as the room went quiet, but the volume was never lowered. The ceremony went on at full-blast, deafening everyone whether they were near a speaker or not. Emily Elizabeth didn't completely plug her ears, but she did sit in such a way that it blocked the sound.

After what felt like an eternity, the principal released the community leaders and other visitors to the football field, where another ceremony would take place. Students were ordered to stay seated, and many grumbled as they watched the floor below clear out. Everyone was ready to go, but there was one more speaker.

Jetta emerged with Collier's mother from the exit closest to the girls' locker room. Collier's mom stayed behind as Jetta, who was dressed in one of her finest outfits, took to the stage.

"Here we go," Charley said as others in their section quieted. By now, everyone knew who Jetta was, and it was clear that everyone who now knew her did not like her, not one bit.

The principal emerged from the exit near the boys' locker room, where the community leaders and other visitors had been herded. He took the stage and leaned into the microphone, "Please welcome Jetta, who has a message for the student body and for Amelia Elizabeth," he said, ignoring the snickers from the crowd.

As soon as Jetta got to the microphone, the place erupted in boos and sneers. People Emily Elizabeth didn't even know stood to yell louder, and teachers looked on with indifference—they clearly held the same opinion (plus they wanted to leave and get back to class). The principal was slow to react, and before he could reach the mic to attempt to regain control, a chant had started that was highly inappropriate, which also got the teachers to react. Calls for silence echoed through the sound system, but it took an eternity to quiet the crowd and get them back to their seats.

"You will give this young woman your undivided, SILENT attention, or you will be escorted to the office!" the principal bellowed.

Jetta returned to her spot in front of the microphone, but it was clearly hard for the crowd to remain quiet. Everyone turned to Emily Elizabeth for a cue—does she want us to protest or not? Emily Elizabeth sat at attention. She'd had her moments with Jetta in the past, but turning against her now was ill advised for many reasons. What if this was a genuine apology? What if it was truly heartfelt, the one thing she needed to hear?

"I want to start by introducing myself as Jetta, the girl who has done many wrong things in an attempt to be popular. You have all showed me the error of my ways, and I'm beginning to fully understand that everything I did was wrong. Instead of targeting an innocent girl, I should've focused on myself, on building my strengths. Instead I focused on tearing someone else down for no reason other than personal gain, and for that I am truly, one hundred percent sorry.

"Moving forward, I want to stand on my own, make decisions for myself, and not attempt to devalue others—"

"It's all about her," Charley whispered. He shook his head, "She doesn't even care about what she did, how she could've hurt you. It's all about her just like it always is."

The crowd grew increasingly restless as Jetta went forward. Teachers moved to be on the gym floor so they could face the stands. A few people started to leave on their own accord, but they were herded towards the office. Others decided that wasn't so bad and followed, and many lines went towards the office.

Jetta continued as they left, "…and I too know the pain of loss. Losing one's pet is like losing a piece of one's soul, and I—"

"How dare she!" Charley hissed, standing and grabbing his things. Before Emily Elizabeth could stop him or anyone else, people flocked towards the doors. Teachers exchanged glances as the crowd left in an orderly fashion, all of them moving towards the cafeteria, which was now filled with students unable to move any more due to the lines going towards the office. Police officers, who were there to help with traffic, were now standing around to make sure everything remained orderly, but the students decided right away that this should be a peaceful protest.

In the gym, very few people remained. As Jetta looked up from her paper and saw the mostly empty stands, she seemed to shrink. She hadn't noticed they were gone, but she did notice Emily Elizabeth sitting alone in the sophomore section.

Jetta choked out a sigh, "I want to thank you for being a better person than I'll ever be. Thank you for listening."

Jetta escaped towards the girls' locker room, where Collier's mother stood waiting. The few remaining students stood and left, returning to their third period class as instructed. Emily Elizabeth sat, watching as the room emptied out. A bored-looking janitor emerged and began taking up chairs below. Everyone else was either at the office or at the other ceremony, so there was nothing more to be done.

Emily Elizabeth returned to class, as did her peers a few minutes later. Because they had softly walked out instead of continuing to be loud, the school decided it was best to let them return to class, namely because they had no way of punishing so many kids at once.

The day continued on, slow as molasses, but Emily Elizabeth said nothing to anyone. Instead she thought about the day's events and what it would mean for the future. She decided, inevitably, that nothing had changed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

That afternoon, instead of heading home to do her homework, Emily Elizabeth went out to the pier and sat outside the bait shop. All of the usual people were there, so when the refreshment line went down enough, she got a snack and something to drink while she waited. It took well over an hour, probably two if she had to be accurate, but soon the regulars left and Charley emerged with his broom to sweep the peer. Samuel waved to Emily Elizabeth from inside, so she waved back before turning to face where Charley was working.

"I heard they had to go back on the punishments. There were too many of you," Emily Elizabeth said.

Charley shrugged, "You weren't there, which upset a lot of people. They expected you to join us. Instead you were the only one left in the entire school who actually listened to her, and people don't know what to say about that. I say it shows your character, the purity of your soul, but others are upset that they almost got a ding on their permanent record over someone who won't stand up for herself."

"I decided to stand my ground, to see if she would say something any different. I don't believe her, just like all of you, but she deserved to be heard. I don't think she realized how few people were still there until she was finished. You guys gave her a strong message today. I don't matter, but everyone else does. She left the stage in tears when she realized no one was listening to her anymore," Emily Elizabeth whispered, looking up the pier as a couple approached. She turned back to Charley, "It worked. I didn't need to be a part of that movement to get something done."

"Not everyone thinks that. I've heard things, nasty things."

Emily Elizabeth shrugged, "Their opinions don't really matter to me. Isn't that the point of all of this? People can think what they want. It's their actions that matter."

Charley smirked, "Things aren't that neat anymore. This isn't some children's book with a clear-cut lesson shoved in the middle. This is real life, your life, and I'm telling you people are pissed about this, and they are rightfully pissed. Where do you even stand on this?"

"I just want things to go back to how they were—"

"Which is one hundred percent impossible at this point and you know it," Charley interrupted, putting down his broom so he could change the trash bag in the can outside the shop. He shook his head, "We can't go back, and 'normal' means Jetta still treats you like crap. You need to make your wishes known. You want her to change and treat everyone better, not just you. You want her to stop being so selfish."

Emily Elizabeth shrugged, "Not really. I mean, I don't think she even realizes what she's doing. I don't think she knows that her actions come off as selfish because no one ever told her, and she was good enough to go along with things for all these years. Now that she knows, she's lost."

"And you're going to give her a pass, just like always," Charley huffed, lifting the bag and tying it off with far more force than necessary. He stood up and glared at her, "You're just like her, not figuring things out. It's just going to happen again! She won't stop because she doesn't know how."

"She's getting help now—"

"From the same administration that turned on you before they even spoke to her! They were ready to suspend you, throw you in detention for the rest of the year, all because she was the victim instead of you. They can't help her. They're incompetent!"

"It's all we have—"

"No, that's all YOU have. Jetta's family has money. They can afford to get her the real help she needs from a licensed professional, even if they have to send her somewhere on the mainland. They can do that," Charley said, grabbing his broom and the trash bag, "That's what you need to demand. She needs more help than we can provide. Plus, it's not even your responsibility. You're the victim, and you have a voice now. Use it wisely."

Charley went outside, leaving Emily Elizabeth alone on the pier. A lone seagull circled nearby, but Emily Elizabeth ignored it. Instead she started walking home, taking the long way so she could visit T-Bone and Cleo. When she got home, she went straight to her desk, still too small because she hadn't talked to her father yet. She had a voice, but she wasn't even using it to help herself. Maybe she was just as flawed, if not worse.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Rain pelted Birdwell Island the next morning, so Emily Elizabeth's father offered her a ride to school. After a quick breakfast in the family's kitchen, they rushed to the car, narrowly avoiding another heavy downpour.

"It's supposed to be like this for the rest of the week," her father said as he cranked the car and put on his seatbelt. He turned to Emily Elizabeth, "I hope you don't mind riding with your old dad for a few days, just until it dries out again."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Oh?" her father said, backing out of the driveway.

"Yeah, it's about the old desk in my room. It's too small, and since I don't really have a reason to do my homework in the loft anymore—"

"I understand," he nodded, turning to her as he waited at a stop sign, "Your mother and I are debating what to do with his dog house. There certainly won't ever be another dog like him, so we were wondering if we should convert it into a garage or tear it down altogether. Your mom wasn't completely against my man cave idea either."

"I'd rather convert it to something useful. It's what Clifford would have wanted," Emily Elizabeth whispered, turning to look out the window.

Her father nodded as he fell into line at the center of town, which was filled with plenty of other drivers having the same problem that morning. Mark sighed heavily, "Well, I'll talk some more with your mom about it. I'll talk to her about getting you a bigger desk too. You need that for your homework."

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "I do. I'm starting to have even more of it. I'll have tests soon, plus projects. I'll need the extra space."

He nodded as they turned onto the road with Birdwell High. It was filled with cars, though there were still people walking in the rain. Some of the more adventurous students were running, but most walked miserably, many of them ill-prepared for the onslaught.

Among them was Jetta. Emily Elizabeth watched as she nearly fell into a giant puddle, though the damage would've been hidden by all the other mud spots on her clothes. Her outfit was ruined, and her hair was slick against her head from all the water. The binder she was using as an umbrella looked ruined as well, and Emily Elizabeth knew today was going to be just as bad as yesterday for her, if not worse. She shook her head, wondering when all of this would be over, as the line inched slowly forward.

"Hey, before you go, is anything going on at school that we should know about? Your mother thinks you're not eating enough, and I told her it was grief, but she seems to think you're struggling with something. I kinda have some money on it," he grinned, trying to be funny.

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "Everything is fine. I just haven't been as hungry or whatever," she said, looking up eagerly as their car reached the awning in front of the school. She left the car, heading for her locker before going to homeroom. Only a few people were in the room this early, but Jetta was one of them, a puddle forming as her clothes dripped onto the floor.

Laughter filled the room as students entered and saw how bad off Jetta was. Emily Elizabeth pretended to do her journal assignment for the morning, but she was really sitting there feeling awful for the girl. It wasn't her fault that the weather turned nasty on them, and while she could've been better prepared, that sort of thing happened to everyone at some point. Laughing at her about it was uncalled for.

But Miss Pittman didn't stop them. She looked on from her podium, checking off an assignment from the previous day as she looked over the class. She had no desire to stop what was happening, and Emily Elizabeth was scared to say anything. If what Charley said was true, people could just as easily turn on her if she started supporting Jetta. No, she had to leave everything be.

When their first class was over, the teens departed the room, where more abuse waited Jetta while everyone seemed to ignore Emily Elizabeth. Jetta was far from the only student who came to school soaking wet, yet she was the only one targeted for her look. Emily Elizabeth could hear the taunts from a hallway over, but she said nothing. She went to her second class and sat down, checking the seat first to make sure no soaked student sat there before her. She then focused on her work, ignoring the world as she went about her day.

At the end of the day, rain still fell in sheets outside Birdwell High, but Emily Elizabeth knew her father was coming for her after work. She sat outside near the gym, her eyes following traffic going past once most of the cars had left the high school. As she sat, she heard other students laughing and cutting up in one of the other dry spaces, but she stayed where she was, reading her English assignment when she wasn't watching for cars.

Sloshing footsteps caught her attention, and Emily Elizabeth looked up to see Jetta, soaked again, walking past. She sat at the far side of the covered area, her eyes locked on the ground. It was obvious that she was holding back tears, not that anyone would be able to tell. She was so wet, the tears would simply blend into the ensemble. But Emily Elizabeth didn't say that. In fact, her intention was to say nothing at all. She looked back down to her book after scanning the road to make sure her father hadn't arrived.

"It didn't work, you know," Jetta called angrily, "Everyone keeps being mean to me even after I apologized. They told me I wasn't sincere enough, so everyone left because I'm a horrible person who can't apologize well. You know I'm doing the best I can, don't you?"

"I do, but it's not up to me what they think of you. In fact, they're starting to turn on me for not turning on you," Emily Elizabeth said.

"Really? Who told you that?"

"Charley," Emily Elizabeth replied.

Jetta nodded, "He's a reliable source. They'd really do that?"

"They want a fight, something interesting. Me ignoring you isn't enough, just like you apologizing isn't enough. I don't understand it either. I don't want to," Emily Elizabeth replied, looking up and seeing her father's car enter school grounds, "Look, I gotta go."

"Go. Mom claimed she had time for me this afternoon, so we'll see. Don't worry about it," Jetta whispered, looking back to the ground. Emily Elizabeth obeyed, climbing inside the car and shutting the door quickly to keep any rain from sneaking inside.

"Isn't that your friend Jetta? Should we offer her a ride?" her father asked.

"No, she said her mom is on her way," Emily Elizabeth said, which wasn't a total lie. It's what Jetta told her, even though she knew it wasn't true. Jetta would probably wait until five o'clock, when the security guy would come around and clear out the property. Birdwell Island was small enough to make people walk, even the townies from the mainland who could just catch the next ferry, so they wouldn't feel bad telling her to walk. It was just rain, after all. If it was a tropical storm, they wouldn't be in school anyway, so there was nothing to worry about in their eyes.

Once they were on the main road, her father smiled, "I talked with your mom during my lunch break. She said you can have another desk, but it has to be just like that one."

"But that one is too small," Emily Elizabeth said.

Her father shook her head, "No, silly!" he grinned, continuing, "Remember, you helped me build it. This time you're old enough for the tools though, so you can help me saw the wood and drill the holes, paint the exterior. It'll be out weekend project. When I pick you up tomorrow, we're going to the hardware store. We're having to wait because your mom has a list at home…," he trailed off. He clearly wasn't happy about that.

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "Sounds great, Dad. I just hope I don't have too much homework or we'll have to wait a week."

"Yeah, same here, kiddo. I agree with your mother that you haven't been right since school started. Maybe you're just swamped with work or something, but I know you're not yourself. It's not like you to be so quiet, and I know Clifford's death is hitting you hard, but you can't stay in your own bubble forever. You'll be forever unhappy, and I can't let that happen to you. You're too young to be a grumpy old maid."

"Old maid?"

Her father laughed, "Oh, that's just what we called the women who weren't married off in time when I was growing up. Back then it was much younger than now, like twenty and you were an old maid. Now you have to be at least forty. Wait, do they even use the term 'old maid' anymore?" he asked.

Emily Elizabeth shrugged, "I've never heard of it before so I can't tell you."

"Oh well," he said, pulling into the carport and leading the way into the house. Emily Elizabeth's mother had pizza delivered while they were driving, so they came home to a house that smelled of pepperoni. Emily Elizabeth eagerly pulled up a plate to the couch, a Howard family tradition for pizza night.

The only difference was the aftermath. Instead of heading out to Clifford's dog house so he could lick the plate, she'd have to put it in the trash. That act alone was enough to hurt her heart, but she decided to move past it. Instead of going up to her room, she went back to the living room and kept watching television with her parents. They were too happy to be spending time with her to even ask about homework, so the night's assignments went undone. Oh well, Emily Elizabeth thought, glad for the rebellion for once.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Despite the heavy rain, Emily Elizabeth felt lighter as she walked into school Friday. She was early, so she ventured towards the gym to find Charley. When they were freshmen, they went every morning so he could try to shoot hoops with the older kids. There were too many, though, so every day it was a bust…for a while.

After a month of waiting, a bug took down half the morning crew, meaning they had a lot of spots to fill if they wanted to have a normal game. Because Charley had been there for so long (plus he was the first one asking about spots), they picked him…and from then on he was included. Charley didn't just want to play basketball, no. He was actually good at it too, so he'd been allowed on ever since.

When Emily Elizabeth entered the gym, they were having some water post-game near the boys' locker room. Emily Elizabeth joined them, sitting beside Charley as he told a story about a previous win to a younger kid, whose eyes were wide as plates. When Charley was done, the kid ran off to tell his friends.

Charley laughed, "Silly boy. What's up, Emily Elizabeth? You look better."

"I feel better actually. I only got a little bit of homework done last night, but I feel lighter for some reason. I can't really explain it," Emily Elizabeth replied.

"My father would say the storm in your heart finally lifted. I'd actually believe him on that. You've had a rough few weeks, but things seem to be looking up. Have you heard the latest rumor about yourself?" Charley asked.

Emily Elizabeth shrugged, "I haven't really been listening for rumors or gossip. I just can't bring myself to do it."

"Well you best try, girl. Homecoming court starts voting in two weeks. Rumor has it, it's going to be you VS Jetta for Homecoming Queen," Charley grinned.

Emily Elizabeth stared at him, "But we're sophomores. Most queens are seniors on their way out."

"Which is why it's such juicy gossip, but it's true," Charley grinned. He shrugged, "I thought the same as you, but if you get enough votes, you get to be queen. Homecoming Court is made up of three princes, three princesses, a king, and a queen. It's all by numbers, and usually the seniors have more because people know them. Well everyone knows you two, so it'll be a battle, if the school lets it happen. I doubt they will."

"But numbers are important to them," she whispered, shaking her head, "I don't want to be Homecoming Queen."

"Good luck then. Voting is in two weeks, so you have two weeks to become entirely invisible again, which isn't going to happen. Everyone has their eye on you thanks to this Jetta business, and people are really eying her. I think they'd vote her in as a joke," Charley grinned.

"A joke?" Emily Elizabeth gasped, "That's so mean!"

"Such is high school," he said as they bell rang overhead. He tossed his cup in a trash can several feet away, getting claps and cheers from the other players, who practically carried him out of the gym. Emily Elizabeth was left behind, but she needed that moment to really think about what he'd just said. Homecoming Court was special in high school, but it was generally reserved for juniors and seniors, and maybe a sophomore IF and only IF they proved themselves worthy. How was she worthy?

When Emily Elizabeth arrived in homeroom, she found Jetta's seat empty. It was ten minutes after class started when she entered, soaked to the bone yet again and leaving a trail of water behind her.

Today Miss Pittman acted, but instead of quieting the students yelling insults at Jetta, she kicked the girl out to dry off. Jetta protested—she wasn't taking gym that year and had no other change of clothes, but Miss Pittman's word was final. Jetta was sent to the office, and because she had no other clothes and no other options, she was sent home for the day.

That left Emily Elizabeth at school, her mood lowering the further she got into the day. Everyone was talking about Jetta and how she got kicked out of school for looking like a wet rat, which they all thought she deserved. Emily Elizabeth understood the policy well enough—she'd slipped dozens of times the day before because there simply weren't enough WET FLOOR signs to put over every puddle a wet student produced. She'd also had to sit in desks that were soaked because no dry ones were available, and that was even late into the day thanks to the students who were allowed to leave campus for lunch. Today was better because people were prepared, but she understood sending her home because of how yesterday had gone.

But she didn't understand the reaction. Yes, Jetta's apology was selfish and entirely about her. Yes, Jetta would probably point and laugh at you if you came in looking the same way. Yes, Jetta was just a mean person…but she was learning, or trying to. Kicking her out and calling her names wasn't the right path. In fact, Emily Elizabeth was pretty sure this was the worst path possible.

And that's when she understood the battle that would happen. Students wanted drama, a fight to the death in front of everyone. They would vote for the two girls, even juniors and seniors with their own dreams of being on the Homecoming Court. They were willing to give up their spot if it made for a better story, and voting in both girls only to choose the other in the end was the ultimate form of high school punishment.

Emily Elizabeth hated it, but the decision was out of her hands. She was outnumbered, and if she protested, that would only make the story better for everyone else. She'd have to let this happen no matter what the outcome.

At the end of the day, she found her father in the initial dismal line. Rather than tell him all about it, they focused on their trip to the hardware store. The one on Birdwell Island wouldn't have everything, so they boarded the afternoon ferry along with many other teens looking to get home. Rain pelted the car, drowning out the whoops and cat-calls as they noticed Emily Elizabeth was in the car. Thankfully her father didn't hear a word, plus he was too focused on their project to think about anything else. Still, she was grateful to be off the ferry and among suburbia again, trapped among hundreds of other cars trying to get to many of the same places. She was just a speck of dust in the crowd for once, just like she preferred.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

By Sunday the rain had lifted, so Emily Elizabeth went down to the pier for an ice cream cone just after lunch. At the shop, she found Samuel behind the counter and Charley mopping a spill in the dining area.

"Well, look who came out to enjoy the sun! How goes it, Emily Elizabeth?" Samuel asked.

"Not bad. I'd like a mint chocolate chip cone, please," she said, pulling out money her mom had given her for the cone. Samuel waved his hand at her cash, an unexpected gesture, and she put the cash back into her pocket.

"No, no, today it's on me. I'm happy to see you out in the sun having fun. When Charley is done, he can join you for more fun. It's Sunday fun day," Samuel grinned, handing her a double cone with a smile, "Enjoy!"

When Samuel inspected Charley's cleaning job and decided it was good enough, the two ventured out onto the pier, where they found a bench at the end overlooking the sea, which was still choppy thanks to the extra rain and wind.

"What's with your father? I mean, he's always nice, but he's being overly nice today," Emily Elizabeth said, her eyes following a gull fishing at a nearby beach as she worked quickly to eat the ice cream before it melted or fell onto her.

Charley sighed, "Well, he knows what's going on, not from me but from others. When I say you're the talk of the town, I mean it."

"Do you think my parents know?" Emily Elizabeth whispered.

Charley turned to her, "What do you mean, your parents? I thought you told them everything, or at least you used to tell them everything."

"Well, I didn't want to tell them about this, even when Dad saw me with Jetta the other day. I don't want them to know and get all concerned. I mean, Clifford just died, so this would be an even bigger blow, which is true, but I don't want them babying me," Emily Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head before getting back to her cone.

"I doubt they know if they've kept to themselves, but if they've been talking with anyone, they might know and could be hiding it from you. Sometimes your parents will find something out about you and not say anything because they want you to speak first. Well, not my father, but other fathers and mothers on the island. Your parents could be using the same tactic. Even if they're not, it must be working if you're concerned. You'll end up telling them yourself if you keep worrying about it," Charley grinned.

"I'm worried about Jetta, not me," Emily Elizabeth said, furiously licking away at the now dripping ice cream.

Charley shook his head, "You're the nicest person on the island. This girl wanted you gone from day one and worked hard to do it, and in the end, now that she's been dethroned in front of everyone, you feel sorry for her. You're a confusing person, at least to others. I know you and I know how nice you are. I know this is genuine, but others might not. I wouldn't do anything."

"Why?"

"Others aren't so nice. I'm sure you've seen that, otherwise you wouldn't feel so sorry for her. Everyone has gone after her in recent days, and you know what's coming thanks to me reminding you. You have to let all of this happen without you or they'll target you. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course I know that," Emily Elizabeth sighed, finally catching up with her cone, "and I know not to say anything, but who else is going to stick up for her?"

"Look, Jetta dug this canyon for herself. Let her stay there. She deserves it, and her apology proved that. I didn't walk out because of her. I walked out because of you and how little she values you to make a speech like that."

"Charley, she doesn't know how to be compassionate. I should help teach her, help make things right—"

"No, no, no," Charley said firmly, shaking his head, "You don't need to do anything. Again, she did this to herself. I've been waiting years for this. So has everyone on the island who's had to deal with her snobby behavior. She's getting exactly what she's planned for, and yes, I know it's really harsh and it looks nasty, like a train wreck in slow motion with explosions and everything, but it's not worth it, okay? Stay out of her punishment. It's the only way," Charley said firmly, looking up to the blue sky. He shook his head, "I was beginning to think the sun would never shine again, but it sure made for a good story on Friday. A lot of people said they saw her underwear."

Emily Elizabeth scoffed, "Her underwear wasn't showing. She was soaked and Miss Pittman made her change. She didn't have clothes, so she ended up leaving. I wish I could've given her my gym clothes. I forgot I didn't have gym this semester, so mine are still in my locker—"

Charley held up his hand, "Her problems are not your problems, not problems like that anyway. She should've known to have extra clothes. It was raining all night, the day before, the morning of—it was raining enough that she should've known to pack extra clothes or get an umbrella. It's not your fault her work got ruined either."

"Pardon?"

"No, I won't tell you because it's not your problem."

"Which binder did she ruin? I saw it Thursday—"

"Not your problem, Emily Elizabeth," Charley said, standing up, "I know my father said I was free to be with you, but you need time to hear me, to take my words to heart. Jetta is not your problem and you should stop trying to fix it, end of discussion. Now go home, actually do your homework, and try to forget about her."

Charley walked away, leaving Emily Elizabeth sticky and alone. She started walking home, stopping by a local park to wash her hands before taking the long way home so she could see T-Bone and Cleo, who were playing together in T-Bone's yard. She played fetch with them for a little while before realizing how late it was. She rushed home and found dinner on the table and paint sample cans in the middle of everything. While they ate, they discussed paint colors for the new desk, a project they'd take on next weekend. For now, they were done, the rainy day giving them plenty of time to work on the desk and finish it entirely. That outer layer was all they needed, and it was good that they were waiting. Emily Elizabeth really did have homework she needed to do, so she went upstairs after dinner and worked on her bed. Her old desk was gone, replaced with an empty spot where her new one would go. It was an odd transition, but it was a necessary one. Emily Elizabeth was growing up.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Monday mornings were the absolute worst all over the island. As Emily Elizabeth walked to school, she noticed heavy traffic on a side street thanks to an unexpected obstacle—a tree that decided to fall after the storms were gone. Horns sounded as she walked past, but there was nothing anyone could do until someone with a chainsaw got there.

At Birdwell High, Collier was already in his seat, but there were several antsy teens waiting at the ferry, where a group of elderly people were having an argument at the beginning of the exit ramp, blocking probably fifty angry, late people. Emily Elizabeth sat in her seat, glad to not have to check for puddles, and looked over the room. Everything seemed quiet, but she knew not to get her hopes up. Whatever was going on with Jetta wasn't going to stop overnight, at least if her classmates had anything to do with it.

Collier turned around, "Did anyone tell you what happened this weekend?" he whispered with a sly grin on his lips. Across the room, Jules started laughing unexpectedly before putting her forehead on the desk, her body shaking with laughter that she was somehow keeping from escaping, though it was definitely an effort.

Emily Elizabeth cocked her head, "No, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to know."

Suddenly Jetta entered the room, her face red with anguish and her eyes looking like they were replaced with grape tomatoes. Emily Elizabeth looked from her to Collier as more of Jules's laughter escaped. She finally rushed out of the room because it was too much. Emily Elizabeth looked back to Collier expectantly.

"She claims her show dog got ran over by a bulldozer," Collier whispered as low as he could before starting to laugh himself.

"That's not funny," Emily Elizabeth said loudly as the tardy bell rang. Outside, the teens were still stuck behind the elderly group, but they were being too disruptive. You could tell they were screaming even from inside the building, not that Emily Elizabeth was looking. She stared at the laughing Collier and shook her head, "All of you are disgusting, you know that? Each and every one of you."

"It's probably a lie, a cry for attention," Collier groaned, turning to face her again, "I mean, it just seems like something she would do."

"But things like that happen and aren't funny. Have you asked, or did you just assume because you're all begging for more drama?" Emily Elizabeth huffed.

"Time for your morning assignments everyone," Miss Pittman said, sighing, "Will someone go get Jules from the restroom?"

"I'm not," Emily Elizabeth said fiercely, putting her head down and focusing on her work. No one else volunteered, so Miss Pittman let it go. Leaving the class now was like outlawing order, not a good idea.

After morning announcements, the lesson began and Jules returned, though she still broke into giggles, which got Collier laughing, which made Emily Elizabeth glare at both of them. Miss Pittman was growing impatient as well, and after their third outburst, she sent them both to the library to pick out whatever book they'd like to do a five-page report on. Since they still couldn't be quiet, this threat became reality. Collier and Jules gathered their things and left, roaring with laughter before the door could even close.

"Anyone else? Good," Miss Pittman said, turning towards the board, "Let's try to get some actual work done, shall we? Just because it's Monday doesn't mean we can give in to temptation. Now—"

When class was over, Emily Elizabeth made a point to take the long way around the school. She found Charley at his locker talking with another boy. They noticed and the boy went about his business.

"Is something wrong? You look very angry," Charley said.

"Is it true about Jetta and Mac?" Emily Elizabeth asked.

Charley looked up, "What about Mac?"

"Everyone in class kept laughing because he was killed by a bulldozer this weekend. She looks like a mess and they were laughing so hard they got kicked out," Emily Elizabeth explained, shaking her head, "This high school is where humanity came to die, you know that? Even if she is lying, it's not funny."

"But they don't even know for sure, which means it's a possibility. There was a water problem in her neighborhood during the rains, and I heard they were using heavy equipment to deal with the situation. It's a highly plausible situation. If it's some mainland crew who doesn't know about our dogs, it could happen," Charley shrugged, checking his watch, "I need to get to class, and so do you. Don't worry about it. The truth will come out eventually."

Emily Elizabeth knew he was right, but she was still steaming as she got to her second class. At least no one had the giggles in this class, but during the next class change, she could hear people jeering Jetta over something. The girl ran past Emily Elizabeth towards the girls' bathroom, but she knew not to follow. People, by now, were starting to ask if she had anything to do with it or if she was happy it happened. Their morbid response to the rumor was making her sick, so sick that she decided to skip lunch and go to the library.

Birdwell High's library was an oasis for teen readers. The local library was tiny and lacked the young adult section they truly needed. Birdwell High only had young adult fiction, and their non-fiction collection was just as extensive. Emily Elizabeth stuck with fiction, wandering the stacks until she came across Jetta sitting in the middle of the aisle, a sandwich tucked into her lap untouched.

"Have you come to laugh at me too? My dog is dead and everyone thinks it's funny!" Jetta cried, shaking her head.

"I've been trying to get them to stop all morning. They think I did it for revenge apparently. I had no idea it was even true until now," Emily Elizabeth replied.

Jetta sighed, "Well it is true. Mac is gone and the whole school thinks it's some sort of sketch comedy. These people are disgusting!" she hissed, a sharp "SHH!" coming from the circulation desk a moment later.

Emily Elizabeth sat on the other side of the stool beside her, "I've been saying that all morning. I just don't know what's wrong with these people. They're always plotting and scheming too. Have you heard about their Homecoming plot?"

Jetta sniffled, "Sorry, but no. No one talks to me anymore."

"Well then it should be a surprise when you get voted through the preliminary round of Homecoming voting. They want us to get enough votes to be queen, then they'll give the title to me instead of you. I've been trying to figure out how to get out of it ever since I found out," Emily Elizabeth explained, turning to Jetta, "We shouldn't go along with this. You may have a lot to learn, but you don't deserve this."

"They think I do. They want me to suffer, extensively, so here we are. I guess I better start dress shopping. Even if you're not queen, you get to look pretty. Mind you, they'll probably dump paint on me or chuck a dead cat at me. I…I haven't told my parents yet, but I want to leave. I can't keep doing this."

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know," Jetta sighed, wiping away a tear, "I haven't thought much past wanting to be anywhere but here. No one cares anymore about anyone. Going to the administration won't do anything. You proved that."

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "They listened to you. Maybe you should try again."

"They've probably turned against me too. I'm alone in this, so I guess it is time to tell my parents. I don't know what will happen, but if I get to leave this place, it's worth whatever I have to endure. I just…I don't understand why you're the only one still being nice to me, even after I was so horrible to you."

Emily Elizabeth shrugged, "I just don't see the point in being mean for no reason, especially for what they're doing today. I don't think it's funny at all. In fact, I think it's horrible. Mac could be arrogant too, and he tried to steal Clifford's toys on numerous occasions, but he didn't deserve that, and you don't deserve to be laughed at for it. That's not how things should be."

"Well, that's how they are here," Jetta sighed as the chime sounded to signal the end of second lunch. Jetta stood, "You shouldn't stay here either, not because I want you to leave, but because I don't want them to corrupt you."

"That won't happen. I could never think the same things they do, and I couldn't do what they do either. They can't corrupt me," Emily Elizabeth said, joining her.

"Well, just in case, wait a minute before you leave so no one knows you're being nice to me. You might get hit by a bus in front of everyone and they'd laugh because you were my friend," Jetta choked, leaving the library.

Emily Elizabeth decided to listen to her, snatching a book down and checking it out. By the time she was done, she was almost late returning from lunch, but no one noticed. Jetta was still the center of attention, but there were still whispers about her too. If people saw her leave the library, they'd say she was taunting Jetta after murdering her dog, a rumor she wouldn't stand for. She had to put a stop to this, but she knew Jetta was right about the administration. They were ready to be done with this entirely, but the students weren't. Something had to be done, and soon. Jetta was suffering, and even though Emily Elizabeth once didn't mind, she was ready to help her now, namely because no one else was going to.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The hallways of Birdwell High emptied fast on Fridays, but they were pretty desolate on Mondays too. Emily Elizabeth headed towards the school's office, glad for a long bathroom break that gave everyone time to leave. She didn't encounter anyone as she slipped inside the doors, though she was shocked to find the place empty. The secretary wasn't there, so she started walking around the office block to see if anyone was in. Most of the doors were closed, but the ones that were open revealed that no one was inside.

On a whim, Emily Elizabeth knocked on the door of Collier's mom. To her surprise, a voice told her to come in. She opened it to find the principal sitting with her, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Ah, Emily Elizabeth, how nice to see you," the principal smiled, checking his watch, "Oh man, I'm missing dismissal. I better go, Faith. See you tonight for bridge, alright?"

"You know it," she smiled. When the principal was gone, Emily Elizabeth closed the door and filled his empty chair. Collier's mom looked her over, "You look deeply concerned by something. Have things gotten worse?"

"Not for me, well, not exactly for me," Emily Elizabeth began, shaking her head, "Over the weekend, Jetta's dog was hit and killed by a bulldozer. Everyone thinks it's the funniest thing in the world, and a few people got kicked out of our first class for laughing so much. Apparently people think I did it for revenge too, but I didn't even know it was true until I found her at lunch."

"So you talked to her? How did that go?"

"Well, she's stunned that I even bother being nice to her after all that's happened. I know I probably shouldn't be nice to her, but I don't want to laugh at her either. I don't believe in kicking people when they're down or minimalizing their problems. Even Jetta doesn't deserve that, but that's what everyone's doing. Plus they want to pull a Homecoming prank—"

"Now there's talk of a court shakeup every year, and I can assure you that nothing ever comes from it. Each grade votes for their own representatives, so there's no way they could pull a queen prank on her. The administration wouldn't allow it," Collier's mother said firmly.

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "I think they'll find a way to make it hard to refuse, if Jetta stays here. I'm coming to ask for help on her behalf because she wants to leave the island. She hasn't been able to tell her parents yet, but she'll have to soon if this keeps up, and she's going to ask them if she can leave. This is her home. She shouldn't have to leave because everyone here is heartless."

Collier's mom nodded, "You're right, but there's nothing we can do to keep her here if she decides to leave. As soon as she turns sixteen, she can drop out altogether, and that birthday is fast approaching. You're all growing up and making your own decisions, though I am happy you're making the right decisions. My son, on the other hand—"

"He's one of the main ones who thought it was funny," Emily Elizabeth blurted.

The woman sat up straighter, "Oh really now? My Collier?"

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "Him and Jules."

"Oh, Julia, what a basket case she is, always into pain and torture," she sighed heavily, shaking her head, "I can have a talk with him, but she's a lost cause. I'll tell him Miss Pittman told me, though she's done with all of this. She's started talking about moving again herself. You're not the only one who doesn't like what you see around here."

"But what can be done about it? No one deserves to be treated the way Jetta's been treated. Yes, she's the most self-centered person I've ever met, and she's hardly ever been truly nice to me with ulterior motives, but that doesn't mean she should suffer."

Collier's mom nodded, "You're right, but my hands are tied. The school would have me inform you that you're too young to operate heavy equipment, and that your classmates are protected by the First Amendment to laugh whenever they'd like and over anything at all. As a mother to a teen girl? Well, Collier's sister never had any problems like this, but I always told her to listen to her gut but analyze what it's saying. You're a teenager, so your decision-making skills are underdeveloped. You need to listen to your gut, but you need to think about what it's saying before you act."

"My gut is telling me to stand up for what I believe in, but my brain is telling me not to because they'll turn on me too," Emily Elizabeth whispered.

"Then you've already come to the right decision. Right now Jetta is the flavor of the week. Until something better comes along, they're going to keep milking that cow until there's nothing but skin and bones left, and such is the way of high school. I will mention the disgusting rumors to my colleagues to see if they can be squashed, and I'll talk to my son about his actions as well, but this is a wave you're both going to have to ride out. Whether or not you choose to support her is up to you, but it'd be in your best interest to do so in private for right now."

Emily Elizabeth nodded, "She told me the same thing, and…I think you're right, but I wish there was more we could do."

Collier's mom shrugged, "My hands are tied. As a parent, I can do a little, but as an administrator, I'm stuck. I wish I could give you a better answer."

"That's okay," Emily Elizabeth said, standing. She left the building, which was now completely deserted. The pier seemed to be bustling nearby, but Emily Elizabeth decided it was better to just go home for now. She had done all of the talking she wanted to do, and thankfully she'd found someone to listen who could give her some real advice. She was still torn on what to do, but at least she better understood her options.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Emily Elizabeth was reading for her English class when her mom entered her room with the family's cordless phone in-hand. She was confused about who could be calling, especially since her mom has this giddy look on her face, but she also knew she had to accept the call no matter who it could possibly be.

So she took the phone and answered, well aware that her mom was probably rushing downstairs to join her father in the den, where the corded phone was, so they could listen to her conversation. Emily Elizabeth sighed and looked down to her book, "May I ask who's calling? Be aware my parents are probably listening on the other line like they always do."

An audible CLICK sounded before the other person could answer. They laughed, and Emily Elizabeth recognized him right away. Collier smirked, "It's me. Man, your parents still listen to your conversations. How rude—"

A throat cleared in the background and Emily Elizabeth grinned, "You were saying?"

"Look, Mom heard from Miss Pittman that I got kicked out of class today, and she found out why I was kicked out too, and she wanted me to apologize to you because she heard it upset you too. She's not making me call Jetta too. I'd probably get cussed out, and I probably would deserve it. Can you forgive a rude boy like me?"

"Only if this doesn't continue. I mean, it's gotten ugly. People think I was the one driving that bulldozer on behalf of my dead dog, and that's not right. That's, like, criminal or something," Emily Elizabeth said.

Collier sighed, "Yeah, that is really bad. Who said that?"

"I don't know, but a kid told me someone said it, and I believe them. This has gotten out of hand, and it needs to stop, starting tomorrow. We can't keep hurting each other like this no matter what Jetta did. I mean, I forgive her. She didn't know any better, but she's learning, so I accept her apology. If I can accept it, that means it's time for everyone else to accept it too," Emily Elizabeth said firmly.

"You're right, but no one is going to listen now. They're having too much fun starting rumors and yelling insults," Collier said.

Emily Elizabeth exhaled slowly, "Well, let's just make it a point not to start new rumors, and to shut down any new rumors we hear. And if people are being mean, we should ignore them so they have no audience. They won't like that no one is listening, so they'll just be quiet."

"Do you really think that could work?"

"No, but it's worth a shot. I know it's too far gone, that we have to wait this out. Your mom told me that when all of this started," Emily Elizabeth lied, shaking her head, "We just have to wait for the dust to settle and the next rumor to fly. They'll have to focus on someone else eventually. They'll get bored."

Collier nodded, "Yeah, bored, I can see it. That shouldn't take much longer, I'd think. It's already been a few weeks, and this new development shouldn't happen again, right?"

"No, Mac was her one true dog. All of their other show dogs are with other owners," Emily Elizabeth whispered, adding, "They've been close for years. I feel for her. It was so sudden."

"Poor little guy probably never saw it coming," Collier whispered, "Man I feel like a butthead now. I should apologize for her, and Jules should too. Jetta didn't deserve that."

"That's on her, but I think it'd be nice if you apologized too," Emily Elizabeth smiled, though deep down she wondered if he was saying it because he genuinely wanted to apologize or because his mom was standing there watching him. She pushed that from her mind as he said his goodbyes. She ended the call and returned downstairs, where her parents were waiting.

"Are you having problems with Jetta?" her mom asked.

Emily Elizabeth stopped mid-step, "You were listening to my conversation?!"

"Well, answer your mother—"

"No! Why would you listen in like that?!" Emily Elizabeth exclaimed.

"A boy I didn't know was calling my daughter. I had every right to listen to your conversation, and I should've listened to you sooner. How long has this been going on? A few weeks means since the start of school—"

"It's not your problem, okay? I've got everything under control!"

"It doesn't look that way to me, Emily Elizabeth. You just started eating dinner again over the weekend, but you went off it again tonight—"

"Dad, you know I don't really like chili. I only eat it to be nice," Emily Elizabeth interrupted.

"Either way, you've been acting funny since school started, and I knew it didn't have much to do with Clifford. You were acting like something was wrong, and I would know. I'm your mother and I want the best for you. Now, what can we do to help?" her mom asked with a smile.

Emily Elizabeth shook her head, "Nothing. It'll work itself out, okay? Seriously, leave it be. That boy is the son of an administrator, so they know and they're handling it."

"The son of an administrator is a bully?" her dad asked.

"He said he's going to apologize, and I believe him. I don't think he realized how mean he was being," Emily Elizabeth argued.

"But he still has bullying tendencies, and being an administrator's son means he'd get special treatment. I think this is a much bigger problem then you're telling us," her mom said.

"I'm done having this conversation," Emily Elizabeth said, turning to leave out the back door before she even realized what she was doing. She ran to the loft, crawling under her desk and looking out over the backyard, which was covered in shadows as the sun set.

Her parents didn't follow, but the damage was done. Emily Elizabeth didn't know what she was going to do from here, but she knew her parents would be meddling from here on out, which complicated things. What if they invited Jetta over for dinner and people from school saw? If Jetta showed any signs of being sick, the school would say Emily Elizabeth tried to poison her.

It was a lot to digest, but she didn't want to explain it from start to finish. In all reality, ever since Jetta's apology, Emily Elizabeth was nothing more than a background character to this whole thing, even though she was included in some of the rumors. None of it was directed at her at all. Instead, Jetta was the target, and it had to stay that way if this was ever going to blow over. The school couldn't suddenly get even more dirt on Emily Elizabeth or there'd be two targets and twice as many rumors to start.

Emily Elizabeth peeked down, the cavernous space below the loft eating up what little light was left. Clifford's carpet was gone, taken with him when the crematorium picked up his body. His ashes would come back any day now, some in a decorative box and the rest in three lockets, one for each member of the family. She was looking forward to having him with her again, even if it was just his ashes. She could use his company now more than ever, a thought that made her weep.


End file.
